BP and Mobil unveil team for $5bn joint operation
BP and Mobil have outlined the marketing structure they will put in place if their proposed $5bn (3.2bn) merger is given the all-clear this week.
The merger, which needs the green light from the European Commission, will lead to the creation of two European joint venture operations – one for fuels and the other for lubricants.
The fuels business will handle the sale of petrol through about 9,000 petrol stations in Europe.The two companies are planning to brand all forecourts under the BP name. The division will be run by Peter Backhouse, chief executive of BP Oil Europe.
The top consumer marketing position will be handed to BP’s head of retail, Jorge Tavares. Mobil Europe’s vice-president for fuels, Kerry Wark, is going to Mobil in the US to work on a lubricants strategy project. Mobil Europe’s head of retail Mike Gore becomes retail implementation manager for the joint venture, reporting to Tavares.
The lubricants business is to be headed by Mobil Europe vice president of marketing Jean-Luis Schilansky, with Mike Churn, support manager for Mobil Europe, as marketing director.
The two companies will operate from a joint operations centre based in Brussels, Belgium.
The EC decision is expected at the end of this week. The Commission can either accept the deal, reject it, or ask for a further four months to examine the merger.